Departmental Manpower

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) permanent Civil Service posts,  (b) permanent non-Civil Service posts and  (c) temporary or agency workers in employment there were in his Department in each month since May 2005.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Office for National Statistics publishes Civil Service employment statistics every quarter in the Public Sector Employment First Release. The latest statistics published are for Q4 (December) 2007. These can be viewed at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pse0308.pdf.
	Table 6 of the publication provides a breakdown of employment by government department. This has been available since Q1 2006, and since Q4 2006 it has included a breakdown of permanent and temporary/casual employees. Links to the on-line publications can be viewed at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ReleaseCalendar/findreleases.asp?releasetitle= Public+Sector+Employment&releaseorganisation=42&releasetheme=&daterange=3&sday=18&smonth=03&syear=2008&ShowHits=10&SortOrder=0&ShowYear=2008.
	Prior to 2006 Civil Service employment numbers were available on only an annual basis. A link is provided to the Civil Service statistics on the Cabinet Office website:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/archive/index.asp.
	Civil Service statistics collected are the number of employees and not the number of posts. An employee covering multiple posts is counted only once and no information on vacancies is held.
	The ONS does not publish statistics for non-Civil Service posts broken down by government department.
	Information on employment agency workers could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Geographical Information Systems

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2008,  Official Report, column 126W, on geographical information systems, which Government departments and agencies other than his own have been given access to the Shared Spatial Information Service.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following organisations outside of DEFRA and its executive agencies have registered users who have access to the Shared Spatial Information Service (SPIRE):
	British Waterways
	Energy Saving Trust
	English Heritage
	Environment Agency
	Government Office for the English Regions
	Joint Nature Conservatory Council
	Meat Hygiene Service
	Natural England
	Ordnance Survey
	Pesticide Safety Directorate
	Forest Research
	Forestry Commission

Natural England: Early Retirement

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many employees of Natural England have  (a) been offered and  (b) accepted early retirement in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 26 March 2008
	We do not hold this information as Natural England is a non departmental public body (NDPB).
	I have asked Dr. Helen Phillips the chief executive of Natural England to write to you with the information requested.

Drugs: Fees and Charges

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the costs associated with running a further consultation on Part IX of the Drug Tariff;
	(2)  when his Department plans to publish its further consultation on Part IX of the Drug Tariff; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The costs associated with running a further consultation has been estimated at £393,000. These costs will be for the services of professional advisors. The Department's costs are part of its ongoing operational budget.
	The Department intends to publish a further consultation regarding the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances—and related services—in primary care towards the end of May 2008. An impact assessment and equality impact assessment will be published alongside this.

Eyes: Diseases

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had a diagnosis of keratoconus at the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by primary care trust.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect data on the total number of people with a diagnosis of keratoconus. The majority will receive contact lenses or glasses from their optometrist or ophthalmic medical practitioner, and will have their condition managed in the community.
	Patients with more advanced keratoconus may be seen by the hospital eye service on an outpatient basis. The Information Centre for health and social care collects data on outpatient attendances but this data cannot be broken down by diagnosis.
	A very small proportion of those with keratoconus, mainly those requiring corneal grafting, will be seen as inpatients. The following table shows the count of hospital admissions for those with a primary diagnosis of Keratoconus(1) broken by strategic health authority (SHA) area. The data could not be broken by primary care trust given the small numbers involved.
	(1) A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission with the year.
	
		
			  Current SHA of residence  Total hospital admissions 
			 North East SHA 23 
			 North West SHA 83 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 142 
			 East Midlands SHA 67 
			 West Midlands SHA 86 
			 East of England SHA 60 
			 London SHA 168 
			 South East Coast SHA 36 
			 South Central SHA 45 
			 South West SHA 54 
			 Non England and unknown 19 
			 Total 783

Multiple Sclerosis

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will appoint a National Director for Multiple Sclerosis;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the National Service Framework for Long-Term Conditions on the provision of services and staffing for people with multiple sclerosis.

Ann Keen: We have not assessed the effect of the "National Service Framework (NSF) for long term conditions" on service provision for people with multiple sclerosis. The NSF has a 10-year implementation programme from its publication in March 2005, with flexibility for organisations to set the pace of change locally to take account of differences in local priorities and needs.
	We have no plans to appoint a national director for multiple sclerosis. National directors oversee the implementation of specific NSFs or major clinical or service strategies. In line with devolving responsibility to local organisations, we believe that it is more appropriate for local health and social care communities and the third sector to take responsibility for driving forward the service changes and improvements envisaged by the NSF for long- term conditions.

NHS: Leaflets

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on producing NHS leaflets in languages other than English in 2006-07.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not recorded in the format requested by financial years. National health service publications are produced by the Department as well as by NHS agencies and local organisations and records are not held centrally.
	The Department commissioned translation services at a total cost of £180,319.29 in the calendar year 2006 and £3141,352.03 in the calendar year 2007. These costs were for publications branded either NHS or Departmental or jointly branded, as well as for the translation of correspondence and guidance. Printing or recording and production costs are not included in these figures.

Patient Choice Schemes: Costs

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS Choose and Book IT project has cost to date.

Ben Bradshaw: Choose and Book is one of the new, linked, IT systems and services which are being delivered by NHS Connecting for Health to help modernise the NHS and to ensure that patients have a clear choice of time, date and place when booking into first outpatient appointments.
	Total payments to date relating to the development, delivery and maintenance of the choose and book IT system total £98.9 million. This includes £45.1 million for the development and deployment of the core system by the supplier under the original core contract worth £64.5 million over five years. It also includes a further £53.8 million for approved additional services and functionality identified in the contract, the costs of which are within the budget for the original choose and book business case.

Psychiatry: Standards

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the Prime Minister's response of 11th March to the petition on the National Occupational Standards for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Ben Bradshaw: No discussions have taken place. The response to the petition represents the Government's position on the regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists.

Olympic Games 2012: Contracts

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister for the Olympics which Welsh companies or organisations have obtained contracts through the Olympic Delivery Authority; what the value of each contract is; and what work is involved in each.

Tessa Jowell: To date three businesses or organisations registered in Wales have supplied goods and services to the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), these are John Evans Photography; Strategy and Solution Limited; and the Office for National Statistics. These contracts were awarded for photography, management consulting services and data processing and preparation. Due to commercial sensitivities I cannot make public the value of each of these contracts, but I can tell you that spend to date with them is £5,053.
	In January, the Olympic Family launched the London 2012 Business Network, helping businesses across the country access and compete for 2012 related contracts. Over 200 Welsh companies have registered for the CompeteFor service, and businesses in every constituency should be encouraged to sign up and get support. The ODA will be visiting Cardiff in May 2008 to speak to Welsh businesses about the opportunities generated by the Games.

Olympic Games 2012: Contracts

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister for the Olympics which contracts have been let by the Olympic Delivery Authority; and what  (a) value and  (b) percentage of contracts have been let to companies based in (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority will directly procure over 2,000 contracts; these are expected to generate 50,000 supply chain opportunities. At this early stage, 600 contracts have been awarded. The percentage shares are as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage share 
			 England 97 
			 Scotland 1 
			 Wales 1 
			 Northern Ireland 1 
		
	
	The London 2012 website provides information about contracts awarded by sector. The value of these contracts is in excess of £1 billion.
	In January, the Olympic Family launched the London 2012 Business Network, helping businesses across the country access and compete for 2012 related contracts. Businesses in every constituency should be encouraged to sign up and get support. To this end ODA have a programme of business engagement covering all of the UK's nations and regions. Events took place in Northern Ireland in November, in Scotland in February, and will take place in Wales in May.
	In addition to these direct opportunities flowing from London 2012 procurement, there are of course wider opportunities for the nations and regions to benefit economically from the Games. These include a potential £2.1 billion boost to the UK's tourism industry and volunteering opportunities which can help drive up skills levels and improve employability. Over 600 top class sporting facilities from across the UK will appear in the London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camps Guide to be launched this summer with 31 in Wales alone. These have the potential to attract top athletes from around the world bringing a range of sporting and business opportunities, including inward investment. In addition, UK Trade and Investment are developing programmes to use the Games as a springboard for export.

Bombs

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the Government classifies and defines CRV-7 weapons.

Bob Ainsworth: CRV7 is 2.75inch/70mm unguided rocket system offering a range of motors, launchers and warheads depending upon mission objectives. The rocket is classified according to whether it will be fired from a fixed wing or helicopter platform and is further sub-classified according to the warhead that has been fitted to the round.

European Security and Defence Policy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his French counterpart on  (a) European Security and Defence Policy,  (b) NATO and  (c) France's EU presidency between July and December 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I met the French Defence Minister for bilateral discussions during the UK-France summit held in London on 27 March. I also had the opportunity to meet him at the NATO summit held in Bucharest on 2-4 April.
	In the course of these meetings we discussed a range of issues, including European Security and Defence Policy, NATO, and France's EU Presidency between July and December 2008.

HMS Argyll

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where HMS Argyll has been deployed in 2008 to date; what plans he has for further deployments prior to its decommissioning; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: HMS Argyll was engaged in sea and pre deployment training from April to October 2007 and has been deployed East of Suez, taking part in operations in the Arabian Gulf from October 2007 to April 2008. HMS Argyll is due to be removed from service in 2019. I am withholding HMS Argyll's future programme as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

Departmental Data Protection

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 26th March 2008,  Official Report, column 157W, on departmental data protection, if he will include information assurance data from previous years on data loss incidents in his Department's next annual report.

David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1179 and the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 98WS. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for the storage and use of data.
	The interim report of 17 December 2007 committed to put in place a programme to examine and improve data handling procedures. An update on this commitment will be included in the final report, expected in spring 2008, and this report will detail the information to be included by departments on data loss in their annual reports.

Departmental Internet

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on the most recent redesign and implementation of his Departmental website.

David Cairns: The website of the Scotland Office was last redesigned in 2004 at a cost of £23,425.99.

Government Borrowing

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the level of Government borrowing benchmarked against other major economies.

Angela Eagle: Over the economic cycle that began in 1997-98, UK public sector net borrowing averaged 1.0 per cent. of GDP, whereas for both the Euro area and OECD as a whole, borrowing averaged 2 per cent. of GDP over the same period.

Air Passenger Duty

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations his Department has received from overseas governments on the legality of the proposed aviation duty.

Angela Eagle: The aviation duty formal consultation period ends today. The Treasury is unable to make an assessment of representations received from foreign governments during the consultation period until the consultation formally closes.

Taxation

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Inland Revenue assessments were held in abeyance pending the outcome of Jones  v. Garnett; what proportion of those assessments have been abandoned following the decision in that case; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The information requested is not available.
	However, cases in abeyance pending the court judgment have been disposed of in three different ways. Cases with facts in line with the Jones case were closed down very quickly. Some others have been settled with tax being payable. And there are some cases where the arguments have not been affected by the terms of the court judgment some of which are still being resolved.

Electronic Government

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether mechanisms are in place to monitor the extent to which his Department's  (a) internal and  (b) external (i) correspondence and (ii) distribution of publications is carried out electronically.

David Lammy: The information requested is as follows:
	 Internal
	The vast majority of internal communications is distributed electronically, including correspondence. All internal publications are distributed through the intranet or email.
	 External
	For external correspondence, we have data and full monitoring on the shared correspondence service with DCSF—which covers our Skills and Higher Education policy areas. The combined email/letter split for DIUS and DCSF in 2007 was 63 per cent. email and 37 per cent. letter. In the quarter January—March 2008 on the 3,777 DIUS cases answered, 53 per cent. were by email, 47 per cent. by letter.
	We do not yet have tracking figures for the shared correspondence service with BERR—who have been dealing with Science and Innovation correspondence since this department was created in June 2007.
	For distribution of publications externally: the Department is able to monitor the number of requests to the publications section of the DIUS corporate site and tracks the number of electronic downloads.

Overseas Students: Finance

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of students from EU member states other than the UK received financial assistance from the public purse  (a) for tuition fees and  (b) living costs in each year for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: EC nationals are eligible for tuition fee support only, provided that they have been ordinarily resident in the EEA and Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course.
	The following table shows the number of new and continuing students in each academic year and those who received tuition fee support. Prior to 2006/07, this support was in the form of a means tested grant. Since 2006/07, new students were eligible to apply for a non-means tested loan.
	10 countries acceded to the EC in May 2004, which has resulted in an increase in student numbers.
	
		
			  EU domiciled students studying in England by support received 
			   EU domiciled students( 1)  Students receiving fee grants( 2)  Students receiving fee loans  Percentage  receiving fee grants  Percentage  receiving fee loans 
			 1999/2000 79,600 20,100 — 25 — 
			 2000/01 79,300 23,600 — 30 — 
			 2001/02 73,900 19,100 — 26 — 
			 2002/03 72,500 17,400 — 24 — 
			 2003/04 70,800 15,700 — 22 — 
			 2004/05 78,400 16,400 — 21 — 
			 2005/06 82,600 17,000 — 21 — 
			 2006/07 86,500 10,600 8,300 12 10 
			 (1) Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Figures are on a snapshot basis as of the 1 December for comparability across the years. (2) Source: Student Loans Company (SLC). Since 2006/07 a student may be in receipt of either a grant (continuing students) or a loan (new students). 
		
	
	Only EEA and Swiss migrant workers and certain family members who have been ordinarily resident in the EEA and Switzerland and EC nationals who have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands may be eligible to the full support package.

Iran: Sanctions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK has taken to comply with the new sanctions provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1803 on Iran.

David Miliband: The UK has implemented UN Security Council Resolution 1803 (2008) in the following ways:
	The UK Border Agency and HM Treasury have added the individuals and entities listed in the resolution to their consolidated UK lists of individuals and entities subject to travel bans and assets freezes.
	Through Common Positions 2007/140/CFSP and 2001/246/CFSP the EU has already banned the supply of goods and technology listed by the Security Council in Resolution 1803 (2008) to Iran, as well export credit insurance for trade concerning the supply of items on the Nuclear Suppliers Group and Missile Technology Control Regime lists.
	The Security Council has called upon all states to exercise vigilance over the activities of all banks domiciled in Iran, in particular Bank Melli and Bank Saderat, and their branches and subsidiaries abroad. On 4 March 2008 HM Treasury published a notice on its website alerting the UK financial sector to this provision. The notice is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/9/C/fin_sanctions_iran_notification_040308.pdf.
	HM Revenue and Customs already conducts routine checks on international cargo according to specific criteria based on risk and intelligence.

Peacekeeping Operations: Private Sector

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to introduce legislation to regulate private military and security companies.

Kim Howells: In late 2004, my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) requested a review by officials of the options for the regulation of the overseas operations of private military and security companies, registered in or operating from the UK. This applies to private military and security companies operating both in Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas. This was to follow up on the Green Paper of 2002, 'Private Military Companies: Options for Regulation' and to respond to the increase in activities of private military and security companies in areas of conflict overseas.
	The review was completed in mid 2005 and suggested a number of options for ways in which the industry could be better managed. The review highlighted some complex issues, particularly in designating which activities should be regulated and how this could be implemented. This issue, along with the options for more effective supervision, continues to be the subject of Ministerial correspondence and official consultation. The Government have undertaken to keep Parliament fully informed of their proposals in this area. If it is decided that regulation is appropriate, the Government will put the proposals to public consultation.

Russia: Foreign Relations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last held discussions with his Russian counterpart; what was discussed; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the margins of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Summit on 3 April. Their discussion focussed on the Middle East, including the Middle East Peace Process and Iran.

Somalia: Armed Conflict

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department has received of the fighting in Mogadishu on 19 March 2008; what assessment he has made of such reports; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: There was an insurgent attack on an Ethiopian base near a livestock market in northern Mogadishu on 19 March 2008. During the fighting eight people are reported to have been killed, including two civilians.
	The Government are concerned about the ongoing violence in Mogadishu and calls on all parties to renounce violence and commit to resolving their differences through dialogue. We support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia to facilitate such dialogue.

South Ossetia: Politics and Government

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria the Government use in determining its policy on whether South Ossetia should be recognised as an independent country.

Jim Murphy: The Government do not recognise South Ossetia as an independent state, but considers it to be part of the territory of Georgia which the UK recognised in 1992.
	The international community has consistently reaffirmed Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty including through successive UN Security Council resolutions on Georgia, most recently resolution 1781 (2007) of 15 October 2007, in which the Security Council
	"reaffirms the commitment of all Member states to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders".

Taiwan: Politics and Government

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria the Government use in determining its policy on whether Taiwan should be recognised as an independent country.

Meg Munn: The Government's long-standing position is that it does not recognise Taiwan as an independent State. We acknowledge the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is a province of China and recognise the Chinese government as the sole legal Government of China.

Timor Leste: Death

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss the New South Wales Coroner's findings on the death of the British journalist Brian Peters in Balibo, East Timor in 1975 with the Australian Prime Minister on his forthcoming visit to the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not discuss the death of Brian Peters when he met with the Australian Prime Minister earlier this month.
	However, I plan to raise this issue with the Australian government to find out how the case is progressing and seek an indication as to when the process might be completed.

Prostate Cancer

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in each of the last five years.

Edward Miliband: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated April 2008.
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many men were diagnosed with having prostate cancer in each of the last five years.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases (incidence) of malignant neoplasm of prostate are for the year 2005. Figures for 2001 to 2005 for males in England are in the following table.
	
		
			  Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer( 1) , males, England, 2001 to 2005 
			   Number of cases 
			 2001 27,380 
			 2002 27,672 
			 2003 27,777 
			 2004 29,406 
			 2005 28886 
			 (1 )Prostate cancer is coded to C61 in the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10)  Source:  Office for National Statistics

Unemployment

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of households included no one in full-time employment in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of people lived in households where no one was in full-time employment in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available.

Edward Miliband: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated April 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your two Parliamentary Questions. The first asks how many and what proportion of households included no-one in full-time employment in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available (198778). The second asks how many and what proportion of people lived in households where no-one was in full time employment in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available (198779).
	Estimates are provided from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). There is currently no annual household dataset, so the figures are given for the April-June quarter to be consistent with those published in the 'Work and worklessness among households' First Release (see web link)
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/work0807.pdf
	For the three month period ending in June 2007, 10.7 million (43 per cent) households include no-one in full-time employment; these households consist of 19.4 million (34 per cent) people.
	Published figures for workless households are based on working age households. A working-age household is a household that includes at least one person of working-age, that is a woman aged 16 to 59 or a man aged 16 to 64.
	For the three month period ending in June 2007, 4.7 million (25 per cent) working age households include no-one in full-time employment; these households consist of 10.9 million (22 per cent) people.
	In calculating the percentages, households with unknown economic status have been excluded.
	The LFS is a sample survey covering over 52,000 households in the United Kingdom in each three month period. As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Unemployment: Young People

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) UK and  (b) non-UK born 16 to 24 year olds were unemployed in each quarter since 1997; and what the employment rate in each category was in the same period.

Edward Miliband: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 April 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) UK and (b) UK born 16 to 24 year olds were unemployed in each quarter since 1997; and what was the employment rate in each category in the same period.
	The attached table gives estimates of the number of unemployed people and the employment rate for the categories requested for the three month periods ending June and December each year from 1997 to 2007, derived the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Comparable estimates for 1998 and 2000 are not available.
	It should be noted that the estimate provided is weighted to population estimates consistent with those published in 2003. Reweighted analyses using the latest population estimates, published in summer 2007, will available from 14 May 2008.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  ILO unemployment( 1)  level and employment rate( 2)  of people aged 16 to 24. by country of birth, three months ending June and December, 1997 to 2007—United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			Total UK  UK born 
			Unemployment level  (thousand)  Employment rate (percentage)  Unemployment level (thousand) l  Employment rate (percentage) 
			 1997 Q2 631 61 594 62 
			  Q4 571 63 529 64 
			   
			 1998 Q2 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			  Q4 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			   
			 1999 Q2 548 61 517 62 
			  Q4 530 64 490 65 
			   
			 2000 Q2 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			  Q4 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			   
			 2001 Q2 478 62 445 63 
			  Q4 544 63 501 64 
			   
			 2002 Q2 498 61 461 62 
			  Q4 546 63 504 64 
			   
			 2003 Q2 520 60 474 61 
			  Q4 526 62 487 63 
			   
			 2004 Q2 517 60 476 61 
			  Q4 565 61 512 63 
			   
			 2005 Q2 550 59 499 60 
			  Q4 622 58 560 60 
			   
			 2006 Q2 630 57 568 58 
			  Q4 648 59 576 60 
			   
			 2007 Q2 648 56 574 57 
			  Q4 638 58 576 60 
			 (1) Number of unemployed people measured using the internationally agreed definition recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2) Number of people aged 16 to 24 in employment as a percentage of all 16 to 24-year-old people. (3) Data unavailable.  Notes: 1. It should be noted that the estimates: exclude certain people who have been resident in the UK for less than six months. exclude students in halls of residence who do not have a UK resident parent. exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.). are grossed to population estimates that only include migrants staying 12 months or more. are grossed to population estimates consistent with those published in spring 2003 which are significantly lower than the latest population estimates as used in the Labour Market Statistics First Release. 2. Comparable data not available for 1998 and 2000.  Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1154-55W, on departmental information officers, if she will break down the figures provided by agency.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Further to my answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1154-55W, individual executive agency figures readily available for press officers and communication officers are as follows, together with corrected information. Some data is not available without disproportionate cost.
	 (a) Press officers
	The full time equivalent number of staff employed on press officer activities for 2002-03 to 2007-08 is as follows:
	
		
			  Staff FTE 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 DfT Central 12.7 13.8 13.8 13 14.6 13.8 
			 DSA 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 DVLA 7 7 7.5 7 7 5 
			 GCDA n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 
			 HA 6 6 6 6.8 11.1 12.2 
			 MCA 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 VCA 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 VOSA 1 1 2 2 2 2 
			 DfT agencies 18 18 19.5 19.8 24.1 23.2 
			 DfT total 30.7 31.8 33.3 32.8 38.7 37.0 
			  Note: Figures for 2005-06 have been corrected from my answer of 6 February. 
		
	
	 (b) Communications Officers
	The Department does not have a "communication officer" grade. Figures shown are for communication specialists engaged in a range of communications activities, and excluding press officers. The full time equivalent (FTE) number employed as at:
	
		
			   October 2006  July 2007  February 2008 
			 DSA 9.0 n/a 12.8 
			 DVLA 43.0 n/a 29.3 
			 GCDA 1.0 n/a 1.0 
			 HA 8.0 n/a 10.8 
			 MCA 3.0 n/a 3.0 
			 VCA 2.5 n/a 2.5 
			 VOSA 7.0 n/a 7.0 
		
	
	Comparable data is not available prior to October 2006 without disproportionate cost.

Galileo

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had about the potential uses of the Galileo European satellite navigation system for all Government departments.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 April 2008
	I and my transport ministerial colleagues have regular discussions with departmental officials and with Ministers from other Departments about transport issues across the range of our responsibilities.
	The Government recognise that Galileo should be a useful tool for delivering a variety of policy aims and improved services in transport and other sectors. That is why officials continue to work closely with all interested Government Departments to identify potential public sector uses for Galileo and to promote this as part of their engagement with the Location and Timing Knowledge Transfer Network (drawn from UK industry, academia, end users and Government).

Developing Countries: Diseases

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what responses his Department received from private companies on development of new treatments, vaccines and technologies for  (a) malaria,  (b) tuberculosis,  (c) HIV and AIDS and  (d) other diseases during the consultation on the Department's new research strategy.

Gareth Thomas: Over 600 responses were received during the web-based consultation on the new research strategy, of which 21 identified themselves as business/industry, but no further detail is available.
	The development of new treatments, vaccines and technologies for  (a) malaria,  (b) tuberculosis,  (c) HIV and AIDS and  (d) other diseases were raised by many respondents. Responses to the consultation were analysed anonymously and comments can not be attributed to individuals or organisations.

Developing Countries: Transport

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the World Bank on research into low-cost transport options for poorer communities.

Gareth Thomas: Officials from the Department for International Development (DFID) discussed research relevant to low-cost transport options with the World Bank in the first quarter of this year. This topic has been incorporated into wide-ranging provision for collaborative work which falls with the following areas:
	 (a) DFID's South East Asia Community Access Programme (SEACAP) designed to enhance the pro-poor content of World Bank's programmes in the Mekong area.
	 (b) The World Bank's Sub Saharan Africa Transport Policy programme (SSATP), which will co-ordinate the Steering Group for DFID's African Community Access programme (AFCAP)
	 (c) A joint programme of transport research support to be based in the Transport Unit within the World Bank's sustainable development network in Washington; and
	 (d) Co-operation with the World Bank in the work of the DFID-funded global transport knowledge partnership.

Child Poverty Unit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will publish the minutes of each meeting of the Child Poverty Unit since its establishment; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: In October 2007 the Government established the DWP/DCSF Joint Child Poverty Unit to ensure that there is a clear cross Government approach to tackling child poverty.
	The unit brings together the expertise of officials from DWP and DCSF and works closely with HMT and our key stakeholders to drive forward the child poverty agenda.
	Since its formation members of the unit have undertaken a large number of meetings with prominent members of the child poverty lobby, key think tanks and other stakeholders, as well as attending ministerial meetings.
	Meetings are held routinely and on an ad hoc basis, as the unit seeks to reinvigorate the Government's child poverty strategy, to ensure we eradicate child poverty by 2020.
	Flexibility is the key to the unit's success. Officials are co-located and work together on a daily basis. As a consequence is it not possible formally to minute each and every meeting that members of the unit undertake. To do so would place an additional burden on the unit's time and resources.

Free School Meals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing school dinners free of charge to all pupils in  (a) primary schools and  (b) secondary schools;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to free school meals to all pupils  (a) in primary schools,  (b) in secondary schools and  (c) aged four to 18 years.

Kevin Brennan: The Department estimates that the cost of providing school meals free of chaise to all pupils in  (a) primary schools is approximately £1.2 billion, and  (b) secondary schools is approximately £1 billion. The primary figure includes pupils aged four. Therefore, for pupils in schools aged 4-18 in schools, we estimate the cost to be £2.2 billion.

Parents: Advisory Services

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many calls there have been to the Parent Know-How helpline in each month since it was established; what the cost of the helpline has been; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Parent Know How programme is funding seven third sector organisations to deliver helplines for parents. The funding for these helplines commenced on 1 April 2008. Management data, including the number of calls to the helplines, will be collected quarterly and the first report is due in July. The third sector organisations are funded by grants to deliver the helpline services. The total cost in 2008-09 is £3.4 million.

Schools: Sports

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school children engaged in less than (i) two hours, (ii) three hours and (iii) four hours of physical education and sport each week (A) in each year since 1997 and (B) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: Data is not collected in the format requested. The annual PE and School Sport Survey was introduced In 2003/04 and collects data relating to participation in PE and School Sport.
	Over the last four years, the percentage of pupils who did not take part in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport each week is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Primary  Secondary  Overall 
			 2003/04 48 27 38 
			 2004/05 36 25 31 
			 2005/06 18 22 20 
			 2006/07 8 20 14 
		
	
	Prior to 2003/04, no data was collected relating to the amount of time spent on PE and school sport.

Crimes of Violence: Home Detention Curfews

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners released on home detention curfew were serving sentences for  (a) violence against the person and  (b) sexual offences, in the last five years for which data is available.

Jack Straw: The following table gives the numbers of prisoners released on home detention curfew between 2002 and 2006 where the term of imprisonment was for either violence against the person or sexual offences.
	
		
			   Number released  Population in sentence length  band  Percentage released 
			  Violence against the person
			 2002 3,693 8,235 45 
			 2003 3,564 8,740 41 
			 2004 3,157 9,093 35 
			 2005 3,204 10,064 32 
			 2006 2,490 9,840 25 
			 
			  Sexual offences
			 2002 20 1,193 2 
			 2003 8 1,238 1 
			 2004 6 1,162 0 
			 2005 2 1,236 0 
			 2006 0 1,203 0 
		
	
	The figures are taken from Prison Statistics in England and Wales for the year 2002, and volumes of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2003, 2005 and 2006. Figures on sex offenders for 2004 were provided by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr. Sutcliffe) to the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Browne) on 15 May 2007,  Official  R eport, columns 686-87W. Copies of these publications are available from the House of Common Library and at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	Since March 2001 offenders required to register under the Sex Offenders Act 1997 (now replaced by Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) have been statutorily excluded from HDC. Prisoners serving sentences for sexual offences that are not subject to registration are presumed unsuitable for HDC unless there are exceptional circumstances.
	As noted in the footnote to published tables, the reasons for recall from home detention curfew are sometimes presented as the reason for the original imprisonment. Further investigations suggest that around 5 per cent. of offence types recorded do not relate to the offence for which they were sentenced and subsequently released on home detention curfew, but relate to offences committed after release from prison and before the licence expiry date for their sentence.
	HDC allows prisoners serving primarily between three months and less than four years, to be released, depending on their sentence length, up to 135 days earlier than they would be otherwise. Prisoners must serve a minimum of one quarter of their sentence in custody subject to a minimum of 30 days before release on HDC. (Prisoners subject to the release arrangements of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 who are sentenced to four years or more are not statutorily ineligible for release on HDC but are presumed unsuitable unless there are exceptional circumstances.)
	No prisoner can be placed on HDC for longer than 135 days.
	The most serious violent offenders and all sexual offenders are either statutorily excluded or are presumed unsuitable for release on HDC. It should be noted that offenders serving extended sentences for serious violent offences are statutorily ineligible for release on HDC. Since March 2001 offenders required to register under the Sex Offenders Act 1997 (now replaced by Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) have been statutorily excluded from HDC. Prisoners serving sentences for sexual offences that are not subject to registration are presumed unsuitable for HDC unless there are exceptional circumstances.
	Eligible prisoners are not granted HDC unless they pass a careful risk assessment.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.

Departmental Sick Leave

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days sick leave were taken on average by staff in his Department and its predecessor in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the following table. Data for the Office of Criminal Justice Reform, the National Offender Management Service and the Public Sector Prison Service, which now forms part of the Ministry of Justice, is being provided in a separate Home Office response.
	
		
			  Average number of days sick leave per employee 
			  Agency  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Former DCA HQ 7.7 7.3 6.9 7.7 6.5 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 12.3 8.9 9.6 10.0 8.5 
			 Tribunals Service 12.7 12.2 11.4 11.3 8.8 
			 Court Service 10.9 10.3 11.0 11.2 9.5

Departmental Working Hours

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours  (a) in total and  (b) on average per employee were worked by civil servants in his Department in the last year for which records are available.

Maria Eagle: The Department does not collate records of the total or average hours worked by it's employees. The information requested could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Euthanasia

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to the Law Commission's recommendations relating to recognition in law of mercy killing as  (a) an offence and  (b) a partial defence; and what plans he has to consult the public on these matters.

Maria Eagle: The Law Commission has not made any recommendations for an offence or partial defence of "mercy" killing. It has recommended that the Government undertake a public consultation on the issue.
	This is a difficult and sensitive area. As the Law Commission recognises, the question whether there should be a partial defence of "mercy" killing raises many of the same issues raised by the debate as to whether assisted dying should be legalised. The Government have made clear that assisted dying is a matter of conscience and for Parliament to decide. Parliament has considered this on several recent occasions. The Government have no current plans to take forward a consultation in this area.

Fines: Surcharges

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what value of victim surcharge monies has been  (a) imposed and  (b) collected since the introduction of the victim surcharge in criminal courts in the Greater London area; to which victims' organisations the money collected has been disbursed; how much has been disbursed to each organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Receipts from the surcharge are appropriated in aid as part of the Ministry of Justice Estimates: allocations are made to recipient organisations or other departments as appropriate. Some recipient organisations based in London provide a national service while others provide a national help-line. Full details of how the surcharge revenue was being used nationally were given in my answer to the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) of 26 November 2007,  Official Report, column 96W.
	In the period April 2007 to March 2008 courts in the London region collected £549,048 in victims surcharge receipts. However, under current IT systems it is not possible to extract and collate centrally information on the value of surcharge impositions entered into local court case management and accounting systems.
	Recipient organisations with a Greater London area only remit, and the indicative grant, included the following:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Greenwich Action Committee Against Racist Attacks 29,515 
			 Hounslow Community Safety Partnership 15,000 
			 Victim Support London 25,620 
			 One-in-Four 48,510 
			 Lilith 30,104 
			 Step Forward 32,190 
			 Galop 35,122 
		
	
	A further £200,000 was allocated to the London Domestic Violence Coordinating Group for assignment to independent domestic violence adviser (IDVA) services supporting existing specialist domestic violence court (SDVC) areas and services considering the development of SDVCs. Funding of £20,000 was assigned to each of the following boroughs:
	Brent SDVC: Victim Support Brent
	Croydon SDVC: Croydon Women's Aid, Family Justice Centre
	West London SDVC, Advance, covering Hammersmith and Fulham and
	Women's Trust IDVA Service, covering Kensington and Chelsea
	Barking and Dagenham: Community Safety and Prevention Services Division
	Barnet DV Support Service
	Greenwich Women's Trust/DV Advocacy Service
	Harrow Hestia Women's Aid
	Hillingdon Community Safety
	Islington Community Safety
	A proportion of the allocations is also passed to the Crown Prosecution Service towards the cost of maintaining victim and witness services through the joint Police/CPS witness care units. It is not possible to say what proportion of this is spent in the Greater London area because this designation does not correspond to the boundaries of CPS operational areas.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to fund the implementation of the integrated drug treatment system across all prisons in England and Wales.

Maria Eagle: On 17 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 49-50WS, my hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Mr. Hanson), my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Department of Health (Dawn Primarolo) and my hon. Friend, the Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. Lewis), announced the Government's plans for drug treatment funding. This stated that the Department of Health will make £24.4 million available for clinical aspects of the Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS) in 2008-09—a rise of £11.7 million on 2007-08 levels. This will allow a roll-out of enhanced clinical treatment in around 38 more prisons.
	Department of Health funding for prison clinical drug treatment will rise to £39 million (indicative) in 2009-10 and £43 million (indicative) in 2010-11 which will enable enhanced clinical services to be available in all prisons.
	Decisions on funding for the psycho-social elements of IDTS have yet to be taken.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in her Department and its executive agencies; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: It is not appropriate to disclose values for staff, other than those whose details are reported on in Remuneration Reports in the Department's Resource Accounts. A copy of the Resource Accounts for 2006-07 can be found in the Library of the House.

Eco-Towns

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to her Written Ministerial Statement of 3 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 70-72WS, on eco-towns, if she will list the parliamentary constituencies in which the proposed Eco-towns are located.

Caroline Flint: On information currently available the 13 eco-town locations, which have been shortlisted for public consultation and further assessment are located within the following parliamentary constituencies. In some areas exact locations have yet to be defined.
	
		
			  Eco-town location  Constituency 
			 Rossington Don Valley 
			 Manby Louth and Horncastle 
			 Curborough Lichfield 
			 Pennbury Site is split between Rutland and Melton and Harborough 
			 Middle Quinton Stratford-on-Avon, with part of site in Mid Worcestershire 
			 Marston Mid Bedfordshire and Bedford 
			 Hanley Grange South East Cambridgeshire 
			 North East Elsenham Saffron Walden 
			 Weston Otmoor Banbury 
			 Bordon-Whitehill North East Hampshire 
			 Ford Arundel and South Downs 
			 St. Austell (Clay Community) Truro and St. Austell 
			 Coltishall North Norfolk, with part of site in Mid Norfolk 
		
	
	In addition further reviews are being carried out on in terms of sites at Rushcliffe and Leeds city region.

Housing Associations: Borrowing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment  (a) her Department and  (b) the Housing Corporation has made of the effect of instability in the credit markets on borrowing by housing associations from the open market.

Caroline Flint: The Housing Corporation has instigated a quarterly review with all partner developing housing associations. Their conclusions from the last review in January are that most associations have sufficient facilities in place and agreed with lenders to fund their business plans, including new development for the next two years. The corporation do not, at this point, anticipate that the tightening of the credit market should adversely impact on housing associations ability to meet either their service commitments to tenants or development targets.